


a happy new year

by wewriteletters



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Gen, Hospitalization, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 06:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wewriteletters/pseuds/wewriteletters
Summary: With Malcolm hospitalized on New Year's, Jessica decides to bring the celebration to him.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	a happy new year

**Author's Note:**

> Still upset we never got any hospital content post-Alone Time so I must make my own. And add in some holiday cheer of course.

Malcolm had never been big on New Year’s as a holiday. It seemed more like an excuse for adults to dress up and party than any kind of actual celebration. His mother always went all out for New Year’s, as she did for every holiday, but as Malcolm got older he was able to avoid her plans better and better. His few friends at the FBI invited him over for drinks but Malcolm always declined, electing instead to spend the night reading and trying to get some sleep. The last thing he needed was a reason to stay up any later than he already would. 

He only enjoyed the holiday when he was a kid, and that was because his dad took him to Time Square to see the ball drop every year. His mother hated the crowds and Martin and Malcolm hated having to stand around whatever party she was throwing that year, so it was a good trade off. They camped out all day to get a spot in line, his father distracting him by telling him stories from his job. Malcolm knew seeing the ball drop on TV in his DC apartment would never match up to the real thing, so he just avoided it all together. 

And this year he had even more of a reason to dislike the holiday. Because he was spending it in the hospital, still recovering from the injuries he sustained while being kidnapped by John Watkins. He had just barely gotten over an infection from his stab wound and felt horrible. Declining the heavier painkillers to avoid any type of sedation had left him stranded in his bed with nothing to do but think about how horrible his hand and side felt and have nightmares about John returning to finish the job. 

He had visitors often enough to provide some distraction at least. Either his mother or Gil were usually with him during the day and his sister and team dropped by when they could. Malcolm never felt like talking too much, other to complain about how bored he was and beg them to let him sign out AMA, so the visits were largely just everyone coming in to tell him about their day. At least Dani gave some details about cases they were working, but his mother only ever wanted to share gossip from her social circle and Gil tried to talk about everything except police work. 

So he wasn’t surprised when his mother walked in his room at five o'clock on December thirty-first. He was, however, surprised when she was followed by Gil, Ainsley, and Dani, all of whom were carrying large plastic bags. 

“Happy New Year’s, dear,” his mother announced, coming over to kiss him on the cheek.

Malcolm did his best to prop himself up on the pillows, feeling the motion pull on his stitches. “Hello, mother. I see you brought a crowd.” 

“Oh them,” Jessica waved her hand. “They just wanted to tag along.” 

“And look what we brought,” Ainsley added, walking over to join Jessica at Malcolm’s side. She reached in the bag and pulled out a pink bottle. “Sparkling grape juice, unfortunately. You really had to get yourself hospitalized over the holidays.” 

“Ainsley,” Jessica whispered, as if no one else in the room knew the information she was divulging. “Your brother was kidnapped.” 

Ainsley rolled her eyes and gestured for Gil and Dani to come over. “We figured you didn’t have any other plans for tonight. So we decided to bring the party to you.” Her point was emphasized as Dani stepped aside to start hanging up gold and silver balloons and a banner reading “Happy New Year!” “And you can’t complain, you don’t know the strings mother had to pull to get us all in here.” 

“It was just a small donation,” Jessica said. “That will build them a new cancer ward,” she added under her breath. 

Malcolm looked around, still confused. Dani must have noticed because she took a break from hanging up decorations, looked at him and said, “Dude, we didn’t want you to spend New Year’s alone.” She looked around the hospital room, where the only bit of color was a vase of dying flowers in the corner. “Especially in a place like this.” 

“I got that,” Malcolm said. A wave of embarrassment was slowly washing over him. He felt exposed in the hospital gown, barely sitting up in a bed he couldn’t get out of. Especially in front of Dani, it just felt so awkward. “But wouldn’t you all rather spend your night doing...literally anything else?” Malcolm couldn’t imagine how boring spending New Year’s in a crowded hospital room, presumingly watching the ball drop on the crappy TV mounted on the wall, would be. There wasn’t even alcohol here. 

“What else is there to do,” Gil replied. “The holidays are about spending time with family. And I doubt even you want to spend New Year’s alone, with just jello and nurses rounds to keep you occupied.” 

“So that means you brought real food?” Even Malcolm, with his delicate sensibilities, as his mother put it, was getting tired of jello and applesauce. 

“Sorry, darling,” his mother replied. “Even I couldn’t swing that. The doctors are still worried about that abdominal infection.” Jessica said the last part as if it was an annoying, but small, inconvenience. 

“But,” Ainsley continued, pulling a pack of vanilla pudding from one of the bags. “We’ll be joining you. And there’s lemon jello in here somewhere.” 

“Well, in that case...” 

By now, Dani had finished transforming the hospital room from dreary, to slightly less dreary and covered in gold and silver streamers and balloons. “Where’s that TV remote? You know they start hyping it up early.”

He gestured to the side table and Dani picked it up. She changed the channel to a local news network, where some pop star Malcolm had never heard of was performing. 

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Ainsley said, rummaging through another one of the bags. “We got these!” She pulled out a package of party hats. “Everyone has to wear one.” 

Malcolm snorted and shook his head. “Okay, that’s too much.” 

“You have no holiday spirit, Malcolm,” his mother scolded playfully, as she put her hat on. “Even I’m wearing one, and I know she bought them on sale at Party City for two nighty nine.”

“Don’t make me pull the kidnapping card.”

“Don’t make me play the “you never stayed for New Year’s leaving me to deal with mom alone card,” Ainsley retorted. 

“Fine,” Malcolm relented, grabbing a gold one from his sister's hand. 

Maybe New Year’s would be tolerable after all.

\-------------------------------------

“Five, four, three, two, one, happy New Year!” 

Ainsley jumped off her place on Malcolm’s bed and started cheering. “Here’s to 2020. May it be slightly less messy than this year has been.” She grabbed her champagne flute full of sparkling grape juice and toasted it against Malcolm’s hospital cup. 

“I highly doubt it will,” Jessica replied, joining in their family toast. “But we can dream. Maybe Malcolm’s resolution can be staying away from Claremont.” Malcolm wondered if she had snuck in a flask of something. Out of everybody, she actually seemed pretty tipsy. 

“Happy New Year, Bright,” Dani said, approaching the bedside. “Personally, I think your resolution should be calling for backup.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Gil said from his chair. Everyone laughed, as Malcolm started blushing. If he had called for actual backup on the Watkins case, he’d probably be celebrating New Year’s in a very different manner. 

“It’s okay, Malcolm,” Ainsley said, sitting back on the bed and wrapping him in a half hug. “We still love you.” 

“I’ll admit, this is more fun than spending the night at my apartment alone. Even if I have some really good vodka there,” Dani said, taking a sip of her drink and going back to sit on the hospital recliner. “Sorry JT and Edrisa couldn’t make it. Edrisa told me she was especially sorry.”

Jessica perked up at that. “Malcolm, you never told me you had a-”

“I think we should discuss your New Year’s resolution, mother,” Ainsley interrupted, thankfully noticing the red flush that was coming over Malcolm’s face. “Maybe it could be not meddling in your children’s lives.”

The rest of the night was filled with laughter. Malcolm was exhausted by the end of it. Gil and Dani left around two in the morning, but his mother and sister insisted on spending the night. 

“Goodnight, kid,” Gil said, patting Malcolm on the shoulder as he and Dani grabbed their coats. “I promise the new year is going to be better.”

Malcolm smiled and thanked him for coming. He knew Gil felt guilty about how much his mental health had been spiraling. 2019 had been difficult to say the least, between being fired from the FBI, returning to his father, and to top it all off, being kidnapped and tortured, but in that moment, Malcolm genuinely had hope the next year would be better.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and have a happy New Year!


End file.
